Can-feeding apparatus.



E. M. BURR.

CAN FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 190B.

Patented m '18, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES Q/f 9w E. M. BURR.

CAN FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 26, 1908.

Patented May 18, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' WITNESS/5S C (W Al/ornrr .E. M. BURR.

CAN FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 13120.26, 190s.

Patented May 18, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I gi \\\\\\Il LVITNESSLS 0. 4 I

A llorney ELLISM. BURR, OF UHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

GAN-FEEDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18', 1909.

Application filed December 26, 1908. Serial No. 169,466.

To all @071 mu '1' 1 may concern:

Be it known that l, ELLIS M. Brian, citizen of the United States, residing at Champaign,

tuses,,.( f which the following aspecification.

ing outstanding fingers 16. f The said outstanding fingers 16 are in a horizontal plane which is substantially lower than the bottom in the county of Champaign and State of I Illinois, have invented certain new and usefnl Improvements in Can-Feeding Appara- The present invention relates to can feedmg means, and more particularly to mechan- E ism for removing the cans from the sealing apparatus, and delivering the same to a cooker.

The primary object is to provide novel and effective mechanism of a simple character for taking the cans successively from the sealing ap aratus and delivering a series of them sinnntaneously to the cooker.

A simple embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, but it will be evident from an inspection of the appended claims that the said invention is not limited solely to the structure disclosed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. '3 is a detail elevation on an enlarged scale of the support-releasing means. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional viewof a portion of the runway shown at the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the can supports. Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 77 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of one of the twisters.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding pa. fts in all the figures, of the drawings. I

In the structure disclosed, an elevated supporting frame 7 is employed having a substantially horizontal runway 8, composed of spaced side rails 8, between which the cans are moved; An inclined track or runway 9 extends from the sealing apparatus, shown generally at 1-0 to one end of the horizontal runway, and an endless conveye'r 11, operating over suitable idlers 12, carries the cans up therunway 9 and longitudinally along the runway 8. The said runway 8 has a bottom 13, which, as shown in Fig. 5, has portions cut away to form openings 14 largeenough to permit cans to pass downwardly. Ordinarily, however, can supports are employed that extend across these openings, said can supports consisting of rock shafts 15 hav- 13 of the runway 8. The rock shafts are each provided at one end'with an offset crank arm 17. located at one side of thefranie, asillustrated in Fig.3.

111" order tonormally maintain the supporting fingers 16 across the openings 14,1in-

gers 18 are employed that are normally located beneath the crank arms 17. These fingers are pivoted, as illustrated at 1!) to a reciprocatory actuating bar 20, slidably mounted at one side of the frame, as shown at 21. The fingers 18 are normally located in upright position, being held by springs 23 against stops 22 secured upon the said reciprocating actuating bar 20, said lingers can, however, be moved from beneath the crank arm 17, and the following mechanism is employed for the purpose; One of the wheels 12 is mounted on a shaft 24 that carries agear wheel 25 meshing with a rotary actuating gear wheel 26 that is provided with-a crank pin 27. A trip lever 28 is pivoted between its ends, as shown at 29 to one end of the actuating bar 20, and has its rear end normally disposed in the path of movement of the crank pin 27. It is yicldingly maintained in this position by a spring 30- connected to the trip lever 28 and to a bracket 31 carried by the bar 20. The said spring 30 maintains the lever-against an adjustable stop screw 32 carried by the bracket 31. The rear end of the trip lever 28 is beveled, as shown at 33, and located in the path of movement thereof. is the beveled end of a gagement with the pin 27, and upon its release, the-bar will move longitudinally backward under the impulse of a coiled spring mounted on said bar. Upon the return movement, the fingers 18 will strike the crank ar1ns 17 and swing the can supports upwardly. In this movement, the fingers 18 are permitted to move backwardly by the springs 23 so that danger of injury and shock to the arts is avoided.

Brie y described, the operation of the en tire apparatus is as follows. The cans are successively carried .upwardlyonto the horizontal runway bv the conveyer, and when a series of cans arelocated upon the sup orting fingers 16, the crank pin 27 strikes the trip lever 28, and carries the supporting fingers 18 from beneath the crank arms 17. The can support-s being thereby released, are moved downwardly, permitting a series of the cans to drop simultaneously through the open bottom of the track or runway. Immediately after this operation, the trip lever, being disengaged from the crank .pin, the supporting fingers 18 will return to their original positions, thereby elevating and holding the can-supports in proper position to receive another series of cans. The cans after passing through the open bottom of the track or runway, fall into a plurality of separate twisters 36, comprising curved strips 37, which turn or twist the cans at right angles and deposit them in suitable chutes 38 that lead to a cooker or other suitable apparatus. These twisters thus change the position of the cans so that they will roll out of themachine at right angles thereto. a

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of constluction, may be resorted to without departing'from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, Letters Patent, is

In can feeding apparatus, the combination with a runway, of a plurality of pivoted can supports forming the bottom thereof, a reciprocatory bar, and holding fingers carried by the bar and movable into and out of engagement with the supports to maintain the same in operative positions.

2. In can feeding apparatus, the combination with a runway, of a plurality of pivoted can supports forming the bottom thereof,

and desire to secure by said supports having crank arms, a reciprocatory bar, means for periodically reciprocating said bar, holding fingers pivoted on the bar and movable to positions beneath the crank arms, stops mounted on the bar for maintaining the fingers in upright position during the movement of the bar in one direcperiodical y operates bar and a tion with a runwav, of a plurality of pivoted can su ports constituting the bottom thereof, am means for holding and releasing the supports including a reciprocatory bar, a trip pivoted on the bar, a stop, aspring engaging the trip for normally holding the same in a predetermined position and a m tary operating member having a crank pin that engages the trip. a

5. In can feeding apparatus, the combina tion with a runway havingan open, bottom, of a conveyer for carrying cans onto said track or runway, a plurality of downwardly swinging can supports arranged across the open bottom and having crank arms, a reclprocatory bar, a plurality of supporting fingers pivoted on the bar and movable beneath the crank arms, means for normally maintaining the fingers in upright position, a trip pivoted on the bar, a rotary actuating member operating with the conveyer, and a ing against the trip.

6. In a can feeding apparatus, the combination with a runway, com rising spaced side rails, and a bottom provid d with spaced openings therein, of a plurality of downwardly swinging can supports arranged beneath the said spaced openings, the said can crank pin carried bv the member and operatthan the bottom of said runway, and means adapted to periodically operate the said supports to permit the cans to drop through the said openings.

7. In a can feeding apparatus, a runway provided with a pivoted can supporting mechanism, comprising a portion of the bottomthereof, means adapted to advance cans along saidrunway and means associated with said can advancing meansand operable in conjunction therewith to periodically-tilt the said supporting mechanism and permit the cans to fall through the bottom to said runway.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELLIS ,M. BURR.

,Witnesses:

C.- A. TUFTS, Gno. E. MARTIN.

100 supports being in a plane substantially lower 

